Beverage cans are commonly packaged in an enclosed carton formed from a single blank, wherein the top panel of the carton contains an integrally formed handle. A great many different handle designs have been developed which enable carriers to be lifted by one hand without causing the handle or other vulnerable parts of the carrier to tear as a result of the forces applied during lifting and carrying. Many of the handles developed are suitable for cartons that carry relatively light loads, such as six or even twelve beverage cans, but are not capable of use when the load is greater, such as in a carton designed to carry twenty-four beverage cans.
Adjacent rows of cans are typically packaged in such larger size carriers so that they extend transversely of the carrier from one side panel to the other. The top panel of the carrier is typically provided with transversely spaced handle openings in a so-called suitcase type handle design, which enables a user to lift the carton by the handle strap between the openings. Such an arrangement is desirable because it permits the use of a simple blank design whereby end panel sections of the blank are overlapped to form the top panel of the carrier and the end panels of the carrier are formed from flaps extending from the top, side and bottom panels. Because the handle strap formed from the overlapped portions of the blank is comprised of only a double layer of material, this vital area of the carton has often been found to be inadequate when the carton contains heavy loads, and efforts have been made to reinforce it.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,303 an extra section provided at one end of the blank is folded under the top panel to provide either three or four plies of material in the handle strap. A different arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,289 which also suggests providing additional material at the end of the blank to enable it to be folded under to form a four-ply handle strap. In both cases the extra material is provided as an extension of one of the top panel sections and is not connected to an end panel flap. This allows the extension to be folded under without interfering with the folding of the end panel flaps, but does not result in optimum reinforcement of the carton.
Known reinforced suitcase-type handles can function satisfactorily under normal conditions. But when subjected to higher than normal stresses the handle strap tends to rip across the hand holes.
It would be desirable to be able to modify the blank used to form this basic type of carton in a simple, economical manner so as to result in a reinforced handle capable of supporting a heavy load.